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A report into England's most troubled families has painted a grim picture of sexual abuse and welfare dependency going back generations.

Louise Casey, Head of a new Troubled Families Team Credit: Ian Nicholson/PA Archive/Press

In many households violence is endemic and "entrenched cycles of suffering problems and causing problems" poisons whole social networks.

The stark assessment came from David Cameron's troubled families tsar Louise Casey - who has been tasked with turning round the lives of the 120,000 most dysfunctional by 2015.

Ms Casey said: "None of the parents I spoke to wanted their children to repeat a life of chaos and trouble, but often they couldn't see how to put things right by themselves - they needed practical and persistent help to do so."